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Sydney - Stip, 2010 Aleksandar DONSKI THE ANCIENT MACEDONIANS WERE NOT GREEKS! (IN DEFENCE OF MACEDONIA)A REJOINDER TO A RECENT LETTER, BY AUTHORS SYMPATHETIC TO THE GREEK POSITION, ADDRESSED TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, BARACK OBAMA 3

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This material has been E-mailed or posted to:- The President of the United States, Mr. Barack Obama- Members of the President‟s Cabinet and senior U.S. government officials- Members of the U.S. Senate- Members of the U.S. House of Representatives- The 300 signatories of the original letter to President Obama, all classical scholars, all of whose names are included below- The rectors and deans of the signatories‟ respective institutions- Selected students and colleagues of the 300 signatories- Senior members of the Government of the Republic of Greece- Leading figures of NATO, the EU and the European Parliament- The leadership of the Greek Diaspora- Selected international universities and their respective departments of history- Appropriate internet addresses, web sites and blogs Dear President Obama: In writing this letter, I am under no illusion that your busy schedule will allow you to read it. I am confident however that appropriate officials in your government will absorb its contents and react in due course. This letter was prompted by another sent to you on May 18, 2009 and initially signed by 220 international classical scholars. (Later, the number of signatories rose to 300, when an additional 80 added their names and support.) The undersigned demanded that the U.S. Government withdraw its recognition of the Republic of Macedonia‟s constitutional name, a move that would align U.S. 4

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policy with longstanding official Greek policy towards and pro-paganda against Macedonia and Macedonians. The undersigned scholars are of course free to serve the poli-cies and propaganda of Greece at the expense of Macedonia,which is a relatively poor, small and defenseless Balkan state com-pared to Greece, but nevertheless is a steadfast U.S. ally. Thefreedom to support the Greek viewpoint however, does not conferon the signatories the right to create and manipulate historicalfacts. This letter disputes the errors and corrects the recordcontained in the letter sent to you in May of 2009 and it isdedicated to presenting an accurate account of the history ofMacedonia. The letter that you received contains material thatthose with a background in this subject will recognize as factuallyincorrect, tendentious and replete with a variety of subjectiveassertions, and misleading or completely erroneous statements. These flaws render the scholarly value and historical accuracyof the letter of these scholars dubious at best and, taken together;they are the most compelling reasons why it should not beregarded as objective work or serious scholarship. Rather thanprobing the intentions and motivations of those who wrote andsigned the letter, I will highlight the errors in the signatories‟approach in selecting their information and marshalling their facts,errors which effectively transformed their effort into a documentpresented the sole value of which is to promote the objectives ofcontemporary, unprovoked, anti-Macedonian propaganda. Adetailed rebuttal in defense of Macedonia follows.Ancient Macedonia and the territory of today’sRepublic of Macedonia In their tract the signatories initially wrote: 5

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"The land in question, with its modern capital at Skopje,was called Paionia in antiquity. Mt. Barnous and Mt. Orbelos(which today form the northern limits of Greece) provide a naturalbarrier that separated then, and separates today, Macedonia fromits southern neighbor. The only real connection is along the Axios/Vardar River and even this valley does not form a line of commu-nication because it is divided by gorges”. The import of the above passage means that ancient Mace-donia was situated on the territory of today‟s Greece, while theterritory of today‟s Republic of Macedonia coincided with theterritory of Paionia. This premise would deny today‟s Macedoniansthe right to claim their own ancient Macedonian ethno-culturalheritage. It has the effect of restricting their historical antecedentsto Paionia, alone. Indeed, it is difficult to understand how classical scholarscould ignore certain salient facts. The borders of ancientMacedonia changed constantly over different periods. At itsinception ancient Macedonia spread only over a small part of whatis today southwestern Macedonia. Later, the conquests of its rulerseffected changes in Macedonia‟s borders. There was a periodwhen a large part of ancient Macedonia was located on theterritory of Macedonia that came under Greek authority for the firsttime in 1913. (Today, Macedonians living in this recently-acquiredGreek territory historically have been denied by local authoritiesany right to identify with their ethnic or national traditions). In earlier times, ancient Macedonia also spread over a largeportion of today‟s Republic of Macedonia. Surely, the signatoriesare aware of the ancient Macedonian region Lyncus, which largelyextended over the territory of today‟s Republic of Macedonia. Theancient Greek geographer, Strabo, (63/64 BCE – ca. CE 24),states: that the „“Lyncus,” region was an inextricable part of ancientMacedonia.” He also wrote: "…in fact the regions around Lyncus, Pelagonia, Orestia, andElimeia, used to be called Upper Macedonia, though later on they 6

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also were called by some „Free Macedonia‟. But some go so far asto call the whole of the country Macedonia" (Strabo Geography,Book VII, Chap. 7, 6). In ancient Macedonia, or Lyncus, there lived a famous tribecalled the Lyncestians, whose inhabitants were part of the ancientMacedonian population. Philip II‟s mother, Eurydice, came fromthe Lyncestian tribe and actually she was born on the territory oftoday‟s Republic of Macedonia. Thucydides also wrote about the Macedonian origin of theinhabitants of Lyncus: "There is an upper Macedonia, which is inhabited byLyncestians, Elimiots, and other tribes; these are the allies and the„client states‟ of the lower Macedonians, but (they) have kings oftheir own". (Thucydides, Book II). The capital city of the ancient Macedonian region of Lyncus,called “Lynk,” was located on the territory of today‟s Republic ofMacedonia. This city was located in the current village of Bukri,located at the curve of the Erigon, or Black River, at today‟s “HighHill” (Visoko Brdo). The ancient Macedonian city of “Heraclea,” also located onthe territory of Lyncus, is reported to have been personallyestablished by Philip II of Macedon. Even today, the city‟s ruins areevident on the territory of the Republic of Macedonia and all arefree to visit these sites. Other sites found in today‟s Republic of Macedonia includethe famous ancient Macedonian cities: Gordinia, Atalanta,Eidomenè and a significant part of the ancient Macedonian regionof Amphakstida. That Eidomenè is located on the territory of the presentRepublic of Macedonia and also was an ancient Macedonian cityis further supported by Thucydides. In his description of the warbetween the Thracians and the Macedonians, in the middle of thefifth century BCE, Thucydides explains that the Thracian armyattacked the Macedonians and took the city of Eidomenè: 7

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"Leaving Doberus, the Thracian army first invaded the countrywhich formerly had been the principality of Philip, and tookEidomenè by storm." (Thucydides, Book II). Thucydides (II, 100) also mentions the conquest of the ancientMacedonian cities of Gordinia and Atalanta, also located on theterritory of the Republic of Macedonia. Another city located on the territory of the Republic ofMacedonia is the ancient Macedonian city of Dostonei. Furtherevidence of the existence of an ancient Macedonian civilization isclear from the presence of numerous defensive fortresses thatancient Macedonians built to protect themselves from outsideattacks. The most famous of these is located outside the city ofDemir Kapiya. There are others elsewhere in the Republic ofMacedonia. Thousands of ancient Macedonian coins and other objectssuch as jewelry, weapons, household artifacts and tombs havebeen unearthed in the Republic of Macedonia and are on displayboth in Macedonia and in other countries. Numerous artifacts fromMacedonia‟s ancient past testify to the fact that a vibrant, ancientand distinctively Macedonian civilization thrived on the territory ofthe Republic of Macedonia. Some data on this topic can be foundin "Ancient Kingdom of Macedonia in the Republic of Macedonia"by Prof. Dr. Viktor Lilcik (The Journal for Archeology, History,History of Art and Ethnology, Year VIII, No. 23, Skopje, 2004,Republic of Macedonia; ISSN 1409/5742). The territory of Paionia, which the signatories stoutly maintainis the historical territory of todays Republic of Macedonia, alsochanged its boundaries constantly throughout its history. A largepart of Paionia was located on what is today, the part ofMacedonia that is under Greek authority. Note for example thatduring the Troyan War, Paionia stretched along the central part of,what is today, the Aegean portion of "Greek" Macedonia. Aroundthe sixth century BCE, Paionia occupied an even larger expanse ofGreece‟s Aegean Macedonia and also included the area around 8

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today‟s Thessaloniki (Solun). Along with the ancient Macedoniancities of Aerop, Atalanta, and Lete, it stretched even as far asAmphypolis on the border with Thrace. In the fifth century BCE,Euripides wrote that the Paionians were a people who inhabitedthe Pangai Mountains, east of Amphipolis and Chalkidiki, insoutheastern Macedonia. Later, as the Macedonians pushed the Paionians northwards,they extended their own boundaries. In 217 BCE King Philip V ofMacedonia completely conquered Paionia and the Paionians weremerged with the ancient Macedonians making the two peoples intoa single nation. At that point, ancient Macedonia spread to occupywhat is now the territory of the Republic of Macedonia.On renaming Paionia to Macedonia The signatories also write: "While it is true that the Paionians were subdued by PhilipII, father of Alexander, in 358 B.C. they were not Macedonians anddid not live in Macedonia. Likewise, for example, the Egyptians,who were subdued by Alexander, may have been ruled byMacedonians, including the famous Cleopatra, but they were neverMacedonians themselves, and Egypt was never calledMacedonia.” Here, again, the signatories demonstrate a dubious grasp ofthe facts. Their claim that the territory of Paionia was never called“Macedonia”, is demonstrably false. Actually, the borders of Paionia shifted in the process of beingabsorbed into what was later called Macedonia. These factssupport the assertion that Paionia was the name given to a largepart of what is today regarded as “Greek”, or Aegean Macedonia,including the territory east of the Chalkidiki peninsula. Later, thisterritory too was given the name of Macedonia. 9

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The same situation obtained in other parts of Macedonia,including areas in today‟s Republic of Macedonia. Some of theseareas had been called Paionia, but later, especially after Philip Vdestroyed Paionia, it too came to be called Macedonia. The ancient Greek geographer, Strabo, confirmed this (VII,41), when he states that the Paionians lived in large areas ofancient Macedonia: "It is clear that in early times, as now, the Paionians occupiedmuch of what is now Macedonia..." Once Paionia lost its independence and was conquered byMacedonia, it ceased to exist as an independent entity and itsterritory eternely became a part of Macedonia. The libraries of the world are rich with historical evidence -written documentation and maps – that support the fact that theterritory of the former Paionia became part of Macedonia and it isincomprehensible how the signatories do not know these facts.(Later well provide a brief discussion of the origins of the Paionianpeople). 10

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This map of Macedonia is included in the signatories‟ letter. Itinaccurately marks the territory of the Republic of Macedonia as Paionia.This map erroneously identifies Macedonia only as the “Macedonia” that is now under Greek authority.This map shows the territory on which the Paionian tribes lived from the time of the Trojan War (thirteenth through the twelfth century BCE), based on information from ancient sources. 11

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This map shows the territory of the Paionian tribes from the sixth century BCE, according to information from ancient sources This map shows the approximate area of Paionia during the first half of the third century BCE, according to information from ancient sources.Why signatories create the non-existent term“Macedonian Greeks.”? The signatories‟ letter to president Obama also stated: "Macedonia and Macedonian Greeks have been located for atleast 2,500 years just where the Modern Greek province ofMacedonia is" Unfortunately for the signatories to this letter, the historicaldata and terms that they cite have been either invented ormanipulated. The term “Macedonian Geeks,” referring to theancient Macedonians, is a time-honored and meaningless canard.No biographer of Alexander the Great of Macedonia ever characte-rized the ancient Macedonians as “Macedonian Greeks,” but onlyas Macedonians. It is difficult to understand how these expertsignatories could invent a nonexistent term to support their core 12

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premise. One suspects that since no ancient biographer ofAlexander ever used the term “Macedonian Greeks”, these“experts” decided that this term needed to be invented to betteralign their argument with the official Greek policies and propa-ganda that their letter supports. Objective contemporary expertsagree that the writing of the ancient authors who directly observedthese societies is far more valuable and valid than the expedientinventions of the signatories.On the origin of today’s Macedonians In the letter, the signatories also argue: "We do not understand how the modern inhabitants of ancientPaionia, who speak Slavic – a language introduced into theBalkans about a millennium after the death of Alexander – canclaim him as their national hero." Below, we have provided proof that today‟s Macedonians,citizens of the Republic of Macedonia and of the remaining parts ofMacedonia (including those living in the region under the control ofthe Greek Government) are mainly blood descendants of theancient Macedonians.Why Alexander the Great was not Greek? In their letter, the signatories incorrectly stated: "Alexander the Great was thoroughly and indisputably Greek". Many ancient testimonies exist in which the Macedonians aretreated as a separate nation, distinct from the Greeks. However,the signatories‟ position that Alexander the Great was Greek iseffectively discredited with his own words or, more precisely, thoseof his official biographer, Arrian. Arrian has recorded the speechthat Alexander the Great delivered to his officers, when his army 13

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balked at continuing the fighting during the final battles in India.Arrian points out that initially, his men were reticent to tell him oftheir unwillingness to continue, but that Alexander, perceiving thatthere was a problem, called his officers to a meeting andaddressed them with the following words: “O Macedonians and Grecian allies... I have collected youtogether into the same spot, so that I may either persuade you tomarch forward with me, or may be persuaded by you to return.” In the the same speech, Alexander added: "But, O Macedonians and Grecian allies stand firm! But whatgreat or glorious deed could we have performed, if, sitting at easein Macedonia, we had thought it sufficient to preserve our owncountry without any labour, simply repelling the attacks of thenations on our frontiers, the Thracians, Illyrians, and Triballians, oreven those Greeks who were unfriendly to our interests? (Arrian,Anabasis, Chap. XXV). Alexander‟s speech clearly distinguishes between theMacedonians and the Greeks as two separate nations. In theseexcerpts, not only does he address Macedonians and Greeksseparately, (“Macedonian and Grecian allies”), but he also clearlyexplains that the Macedonians living in Macedonia could beendangered by their neighbours: Illyrians, Trichinas, Triballiansand Greeks! If we assume that Arrian took these data from historydedicated to Alexander, written by Ptolemy I (general, childhoodfriend and, according to some sources, Alexander‟s half-brother)then the authenticity of this statement is undeniable. In addition,Arrian is generally considered one of the most serious of theancient sources on Alexander the Great‟s biography.On Alexander I and the First Olympic games 14

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Further to our rebuttal of the allegations in the letter sent toPresident Obama, we read: "His great-great-great grandfather, Alexander I, competed inthe Olympic Games, where participation was limited to Greeks." Alexander I (circa. 497 - 454 BCE) was Alexander the Great‟sancestor. It is true that he insisted on participation in the GreekOlympic Games and overcame strong Greek political objections todo so. Since the Greeks treated them as “barbarians” (non-Greeks), all other Macedonians continued to be forbidden toparticipate in the games. Some additional examples should furtherilluminate this point. During the rule of Alexander I, war broke out between a unitedGreek forces and the Persian Empire. Macedonia was a militarilyweak and economically poor country at that time and found itselfcaught in the middle of a fierce war that placed Alexander I in apotentially dangerous situation. Both the Persian and the Greekforces could easily conquer Macedonia, if they felt its actionsopposed their interests. Accordingly, Alexander I sought tomaintain Macedonia‟s neutrality and secretly tried to reassure boththe Persians and the Greeks of Macedonia‟s good intentions. Forexample, he gave his sister in marriage to the Persian general,Bubares, and also provided the Greeks with confidentialinformations. However, the night before the decisive battle atPlatheia (479 BC), Alexander went to the Greek camp, alliedhimself with the Greeks, and gave them information about thelocation of Persian forces. It is possible that he aligned himself withthe Greeks, because he assumed that the Greeks might well winthe battle and would emerge victorious in the war. It was at thispoint that he presented himself as “Greek” and was allowed toparticipate in the Greek Olympic Games, albeit over strenuouspolitical objections from some Greeks. This allegation that Alexander falsely presented himself as“Greek” to dissuade the Greeks from attacking Macedonia afterthey had prevailed over the Persians has been challenged by 15

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many modern historians. One of them is the well-known Americanhistorian, Dr. Eugene Borza. In his book: "In the Shadow ofOlympus, The Emergence of Macedon" (Princeton UniversityPress, New Jersey, ISBN 0-691-05549-1, USA, 1990) Borza asks:“If Alexander was really Greek would not the Greeks know that inadvance? Wouldn‟t they know if the Macedonian dynasty is“Greek” and if it is what would be the need of proving it to them?On the contrary, they knew very well back then who theircompatriots were, and who were not,” (especially during the warwith the Persians). The question arises why anyone would need tostress their allegedly “Greek” origin, and why would a genuinecitizen of Athens or Sparta or any other real Greek state need toprove the bona fides of his Greek origin? Other historians are of the same opinion: Macan, How, Wells,Badian and others. Yet another question arises. Why did the Greeks initiallyprevent Alexander I from participating in the Olympic Games anddeclare him a “barbarian”? Surely, if he was Greek, they would notfirst declare him a barbarian (a man who does not speak Greek);rather they would recognize their compatriot immediately. Alexander I‟s decision to declare himself a “Greek”, just priorto the battle of Plataea in 479 BCE is discussed by Herodotus.Borza states that Alexander I did this for political reasons,specifically to align himself with the Greek world after they emergevictorious over the Persians. Borza also notes (Eugene Borza; "Inthe Shadow of Olympus, The Emergence of Macedon", pg. 63,ibid) that Herodotus contradicts himself, when describing thisepisode, because Herodotus (History, 7.130) cites that theThessalians (Greek tribe who lived on the south from Macedonia)were “first Greeks” to come under Persian rule, and in so doing,Herodotus, for all practical purposes, confirms that theMacedonians are non-Greeks. This means that the participation of Alexander I at theOlympic Games was difficult to achieve and he succeeded only 16

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after he insisted and with the stipulation that only Macedoniankings would be allowed to participate in the Olympic Games. Therest of the Macedonian nation continued to be treated as aseparate, that is to say “barbarian” nation. The fact is at that time that the Greeks found therecognition of Alexander I acceptable because Macedonia was forthem potentially an ally against the continuing threat posed by thepowerful Persian Empire. If this evidence is not sufficient, let us quote Herodotushimself. While on one hand he claims that Alexander I declaredhimself to be "Greek", on the other hand the same Herodotus(History, 8.142) wrote that the Spartan Greeks have characterizedAlexander I as “suspicious stranger”. An even more telling proof that Alexander I was not "Greek" isthe fact that the Greeks themselves announced him as"Philhellene" (friend of the Greeks, i.e. Greek devotee), after hehelped them with information that facilitated their conquest of thePersians). Those titles were given to foreigners, i.e. to non-Greekswho performed services for the Greeks. Alexander I simply behaved in this manner to retain control ofhis then weak country. In this he succeeded. He preservedMacedonia, which, only a few generations later, militarilyconquered the Greek city states and the whole of Persia.Why then did Philip II participate in the Olympic Games? The signatories‟ letter continues by raising the issue of PhilipIIs (Alexander the Great‟s father) participation in the games onOlympia and Delphi: "Alexander‟s father, Philip, won several equestrian victories atOlympia and Delphi, the two most Hellenic of all the sanctuaries inancient Greece where non-Greeks were not allowed to compete.Even more significantly, Philip was appointed to conduct the 17

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Pythian Games at Delphi in 346 B.C. In other words, Alexanderthe Great‟s father and his ancestors were thoroughly Greek." This is another unsuccessful attempt to "prove" that which cannot be proven. Philip II joined in the Greek games after he hadconquered large tracks of Greek possesions (Amphipolis,Potidaea, Crenides and others). He was appointed to manage thePythian Games, not because he was "Greek", but by virtue of hisconquests of Greek territory. His status as "conqueror" conferredon him a freedom to do as he wished. No Greek was in position tostop him, neithr then, nor later. Below we will show further datathat clearly demonstrate that the Greeks considered Philip II a“barbarian” (non-Greek, i.e. a man who does not speak Greek).We are convinced that this evidence is more compelling than theunsubstantiated assertions contained in the signatories‟ letter. In the same paragraph, the signatories posit the term “ancientGreece”. That term demands explanation and clarification.Precisely which nation state and territory constitutes “ancientGreece”? All available evidence indicates that no such countryever existed. All that ever existed on the territory of today‟s Greecewere smaller city-states which were constantly at war with eachother. To use the artificial and contrived term “ancient Greece” insupport of an argument that would deny an entire nation its identityis to place scholarship completely at the service of the propagandaagenda of the modern Greek state which seeks to convince theworld that today‟s Greece is a continuation of “ancient Greece.”Lost in this manufactured history is the fact that today‟s Greeks arean ethnic amalgam of different nationalities and the fact that acountry named “Greece”, i.e. “ancient Greece” never existed.On the location of Argos and the figure of Heracles The next salient issue that the signatories‟ letter raises turnson the ancestry of the Macedonian royal line: 18

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"Even before Alexander I, the Macedonians traced theirancestry to Argos, and many of their kings used the head ofHeracles - the quintessential Greek hero - on their coins." Here the signatories attempt to make the case that theMacedonian ruling dynasty originated with the city of “Argos.” Whatthey fail to add is that can point to several cities named “Argos”.Later, they point out that Macedonian kings were "Greek" merelybecause some of them made coins adorned with the head of the“Greek hero” Heracles. It is well to remind the signatories at this point that authenticevidence regarding the origin of the Macedonian dynasty does notreally exist and that which has been examined to date has beencontradictory in nature. Some ancient authors maintain that theMacedonian kings originated in the city of Argos in thePeloponnese. Others claim that the Macedonian dynastyoriginated in the city of Argos in – Macedonia! The historianAppian from Alexandria (around 95-165 CE) has explained theorigin of the Macedonian dynasty this way: "There is an Argos in Peloponnese, another in Amphilochia,another in Orestea, whence come the Macedonian Argeadae, andthe one on the Ionian sea..." (Appian, Syrian Wars, 63). Orestea was an area in Macedonia and it contained a citynamed Argos. Indeed, according to Appian, this was the place inwhich the Argeadae Macedonian dynasty originated, not inPeloponnesian Argos. As we continue with this investigation into the identity of theMacedonian dynasty, consider the fact that Alexander the Greatspoke only Macedonian with his guards, a language the Greeksdid not understand. This, together with the fact that Philip II andArchelaus (king of Macedonia from 413 to 399 BC) were called“barbarians”, i.e. non-Greeks by the Greeks, makes it probablethat the Macedonian dynasty consisted of Macedonians, whom theGreeks themselves, regarded as non-Greeks. Even if theyoriginated in the city of Argos, then it was in all likelihood the city of 19

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Argos in Macedonia, where the citizens spoke Macedonian,because it was their mother tongue. It is unremarkable that somemay have spoken Greek as a second language, since it was thelanguage of their neighbors. We do not find citizens living in theborder areas of neighboring countries speaking each others‟languages unusual today and there is no reason to find it unusualthen. In the same way that Macedonians spoke Greek, we findthat some Greeks from the bordering areas accepted certainfeatures from the Macedonian language into their language. (Athe-naos in Deipnosophists III and Plato in Cratylus mention thisprocess). Statements that classify the Macedonian kings as “Greeks,”because some placed images of Heracles on their coins do notmerit serious consideration. Heracles was a mythological figureand many Balkan nations worshiped him both then and later. Theappearance of his image on Macedonian coins was more likely forreligious and cultural reasons and not because of any ethnicaffinity. A similar argument can be made regarding the worshiptoday of Buddha, who was born an Indian. The worship of Buddhadoes not mean that all Buddhists should be considered “ethnicIndians”. Indeed, Macedonia is not alone in placing Heracles‟ likenesson its coins; other nations have done the same. For example, inthe Roman Empire there are coins that bear Heracles‟ image.Some are: ASI, coined in the Ethrurian city of Populonia (thirdcentury BC); the coins of Maximinius II, from Caracala; or those ofMarcelinius and other Roman emperors. By the signatories‟ logic,one might very well ask whether the Romans were also Greek,since they also emblazoned their coins with the image of the“Greek hero,” Heracles? Similarly, coins with the head of Heraclescan also be found in Thrace. Again, the question arises, were theThracians also “Greek”? Coins with Heracles‟ image were alsomade in Syria. Even Napoleon I, in honor of the First Consulate(1799 - 1804) commissioned coins with Heracles‟ image. In 1970 a 20

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10-franc coin was struck bearing the image of Heracles. Onehopes that the French will not be challenged to protect theiridentity as Macedonians have simply because they have struckcoins bearing the image of Heracles. Indeed, in 1998, 1999 and2000 in Gibraltar two pound coins were minted with the image ofHeracles. According to the signatories‟ logic, that single actrenders Gibraltar no longer a British, but a Greek colony. Thereare many other examples in the world of coins symbolizing thedesire of different nations to commemorate heroes of culturesother than the nation minting the coins. It would take too muchspace to name them all. Clearly, the image of Heracles appears onthe coins of many other non-Greek nations, and not just those ofMacedonia.About Euripides’ plays Further, the signatories allege that Euripides‟ plays in Greekperformed for Macedonian audiences prove that Macedonianswere Greek: "Euripides – who died and was buried in Macedonia – wrotehis play Archelaos in honor of the great-uncle of Alexander, and inGreek. While in Macedonia, Euripides also wrote the Bacchai,again in Greek. Presumably the Macedonian audience couldunderstand what he wrote and what they heard". Lacking relevant data for denying that the ancientMacedonians were not Greek, the signatories resort to the use ofthese kinds of frivolous arguments. Euripides wrote in Greekbecause he was Greek and it was his mother tongue. He alsoprobably did not know the ancient Macedonian language, eventhough he had lived in Macedonia for some time. Even today, it isnot unusual for visitors to foreign countries to write in their nativelanguage, particularly if they lack professional competence in thehost-nation language. There is no evidence to indicate how his 21

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works were received in Macedonia, so this statement should bediscounted.Demosthenes’ testimonies aboutthe non-Greek character of the Macedonians Additional speculation on the use of Greek and the ethnicity ofMacedonians: "Greek was the language used by Demosthenes and hisdelegation from Athens when they paid visits to Philip, also in 346B.C." It is unclear whether citing Demosthenes as proof of the“Greek character” of the Macedonians is altogether serious. This isbecause Demosthenes is considered the fiercest pro-Greekdetractor of Macedonia and Philip II. He continually stressed thenon-Greek, or barbarian qualities of Macedonians. It would be trulyastounding if the signatories, all authorities in classical studies,were unaware of this. Demosthenes‟ famous first speech against Philip II ofMacedon was delivered in 351 BC and became famous under thename of “The First Philippic”. Later Philip attacked the city ofOlintus, an ally of Athens. At that time, Demosthenes wroteanother three speeches attacking the Macedonians anddemanding that Athens help Olintus. However, Olintus was takenby the Macedonians and Demosthenes participated in thedelegation that negotiated between Macedonia and Athens. Later,he wrote “The Fourth Philippic”. In 338 BC at Chaeronea, the famous battle between theMacedonians and the Greeks took place. After that, Macedonia‟sking Philip II occupied most of the Greek city-states. Demosthenescontinued making anti-Macedonian speeches causing the Greeksto rebel against the Macedonians for their own freedom. However,later the Athens‟ Council, under Macedonian pressure, reached a 22

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decision to sentence the leaders of the anti-Macedonian rebellion,together with Demosthenes, to death. Demosthenes managed toescape to an island where he committed suicide. The ancient Greek historian Plutarch witnessed the anti-Macedonian endeavors of Demosthenes. In his work “Comparisonbetween Demosthenes and Cicerone” (written in 75 BC) Plutarchwrote: „Demosthenes…walked among the cities in Greece andeverywhere, as we have previously said, indulged himself in theconflicts in the service of the Greeks who wanted to chase theMacedonian representatives away… After he came back hecontinued to resist Antipater and the Macedonians” In his writings, Demosthenes attacked Macedonia and heclearly defined Macedonians and Greeks as two separate nations.Even in his “First Philippic”, he described Philip as (quote): “a manwho subjugated the citizens of Athens and ruled Greece‟s internalaffairs.” Demosthenes also clarified the absence of any connection,either ethnic or mythological linking the ancient Macedonians tothe “Greek God Heracles”. In one of his many anti-Macedonianspeeches, he disputed the right of Macedonians to assert a claimas the descendants of Heracles. Criticizing the Macedoniandelegates, who repeated that Philip II is Heracles‟ descendantmany times, Demosthenes argued: “I believe that Heracles, heard the words of the delegates,who persistently say that Philip is a descendant of this God with arevolt. Let this god get to know the scorn of all religions. Let thisgod see the Macedonian tyrant. This god, the hater, punisher anddestroyer of tyranny…” (Quintus Curtius Rufus: “The history ofAlexander of Macedon”, translated from Latin by dr. LjubinkaBasotova; Skopje, 1998, pg. 30). Perhaps, Demosthenes provided the clearest evidence of thenon-Greek origin of the Macedonians and their rulers in his“Second Philippic”, where he said the following about Philip II: 23

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„Philip, this man not only that he is not Greek, but he hasnothing in common with the Greeks, also. If only he was abarbarian from a decent country – but he is not even that. He issome scabby creature from Macedonia – the country from whichyou cannot even bring a slave who is worth something.” The excerpt, “Philip, this man not only that he is not Greek,but he has nothing in common with the Greeks, also”, has beenintentionally stressed to demonstrate to the signatories that theirletter contradicts the writings of the greatest ancient Greek oratorDemosthenes and, in so doing; it underscores their role as anti-Macedonian propagandists. The lesson here is that no less afigure than Demosthenes fervently asserted that Philip II ofMacedon was not Greek, that he had nothing in common with theGreeks, and finally that the king of Macedonia was a mere“barbarian”. One may well ask what the term “barbarian” connotes whenDemosthenes uses it in reference to Phillip. Many of today‟sscholars believe that the word “barbarian” in ancient times wasused mainly to refer to people who spoke a language which couldnot be understood by Greeks, thus carrying the strong connotationof people who babble. Virtually, any nation that did not speakGreek was referred to as “barbarian” by the Greeks, while theGreek city-states referred to each other as “xenoi”. In the words ofthe ancient Greek authors the term “barbarian” was defined by theAthenian playwright Aristophanes (448 - 385 BCE). In his play“Birds” (written in 414 BCE) Aristophanes wrote: “I have stayed for a long time with them and taught them tospeak, although before that they were barbarians.” Here, we can see clearly that, for the ancient Greeks, theterm “barbarians” meant “people who did not speak Greek”, ormore basically, it meant those who were not Greek. There are many instances in which ancient Greek writersuse the term “barbarian” to refer to representatives from manyAsian, African as well as European nations. For example, if the 24

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representatives of a distant Asian nation were called “barbarians”because they did not speak Greek, it would be the same as if itwere used to describe the Macedonians. The term “barbarians”cannot have one meaning when used to refer to Macedonians anda different meaning when applied to other non-Greek Asian,African or European nations. This point is important preciselybecause many Greek or pro-Greek authors have attempted tominimize Demosthenes‟ reference to Macedonians as“barbarians”. They state, although unconvincingly, that he made nodistinction between the Macedonian and Greek nation, but ratherqualified them as “barbarians” only in an effort to “derogate theirculture” for “political reasons”. Demosthenes was not the only Greek who regarded theMacedonians as “barbarians”, i.e. a nation not of Greek origin. Inthe fifth century BCE, the ancient Greek writer, Thrasymachus,called the Macedonian king Archelaos a “barbarian,” as distinctfrom the Greek Larisians, in one of his speeches. (Clement ofAlexandria, "Stromatis", 6). The Macedonians were also called “barbarians” by theGreeks in the Lexicon, “Suda”. (Written by some ancient andmedieval writers). When translating the word “causia” (a kind ofMacedonian hat), in “Suda” an unknown ancient Greek writerwrote that it was a “kind of barbarian head cover” (Suda, Kappa,1139). The fact that this hat was created and mostly used by theMacedonians clearly indicates that this Greek writer consideredthe Macedonians to be “barbarians,” or people who do not speakGreek. The ancient Greek grammarian Hesychius from Alexandria(fifth century) also described the Macedonians as “barbarians”. Inhis description of the word “sarissa” (a long spear of theMacedonian phalanx), Hesychius wrote that it was used by the“barbarian Macedonians”. In sum, Demosthenes‟ anti-Macedonian statements representone of the most significant and compelling sources attesting to the 25

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non-Greek origin of the ancient Macedonians. Naturally, as aGreek, he spoke Greek during his stay in Macedonia. There is noevidence that these conversations were facilitated by interpreters,but it is disingenuous for the signatories to argue that, simplybecause leading Macedonians spoke Greek - the language of theirneighbors - that those Macedonians were in fact “Greeks”.On the language of the ancient Macedonians We will now turn our attention to the signatories‟ assessmentof the language of the ancient Macedonians: "Another northern Greek, Aristotle, went off to study for nearly20 years in the Academy of Plato. Aristotle subsequently returnedto Macedonia and became the tutor of Alexander III. They usedGreek in their classroom which can still be seen near Naoussa inMacedonia." With regard to the use of language, we also read the following: "Alexander carried with him throughout his conquestsAristotle‟s edition of Homer‟s Iliad. Alexander also spread Greeklanguage and culture throughout his empire, founding cities andestablishing centers of learning. Hence, inscriptions concerningsuch typical Greek institutions as the gymnasium are found as faraway as Afghanistan. They are all written in Greek. The questionsfollow: Why was Greek the lingua franca all over Alexander‟sempire if he was a Macedonian? Why was the New Testament,for example, written in Greek?" Aristotle was born in Stagira (a Greek colony, mainly inhabitedby Greeks, on the Macedonian coast, which was destroyed byPhilip II during his anti-Greek campaign, when he drove all Greekcolonists from Macedonia‟s Aegean shores). There is no evidenceon the ethnic origin of his parents. However, we do know that hisfather, Nicomachus, was Philip II‟s personal doctor. We canassume that he was Macedonian. Generally, those closest to the 26

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Macedonian rulers (especially Philip II) were mainly trustedMacedonians, a fact that can be easily corroborated by a review oftheir inner circle. Simply because Aristotle was educated in Greekand for a long time was absent from Macedonia, does notnecessarily mean that he was Greek. We do not contend that Alexander did not speak Greek.Rather, we argue that he spoke it as a second language and thathis mother tongue was Macedonian, a language quite differentfrom Greek. It is simply not credible that the signatories, allclassical scholars, were totally ignorant of the ancient testimoniesattesting to the clear differences in the languages of the ancientMacedonians and that of the Greeks of that time. We willundertake this task in their stead. Proof of the difference between the ancient Macedonian andGreek languages can be found in a fragment of papyrus believedto be part of the lost “History of the Inheritors” by the above-mentioned Greek historian Arrian (Lucius Flavius ArrianusXenophon, who lived around 92 to 175 CE). In this work (PSIXII.1284), there is an episode from Macedonian history in whichthe distinctiveness of the Macedonian language is clearly evident.Here we read that the secretary to Philip and Alexander ofMacedon, Eumenes, “…sent forward a man named Xenias, whospoke Macedonian …” to negotiate with the Macedonian army ofNeoptolomeus. This event took place around 321 BCE. We have already noted that Arrian wrote a biography ofAlexander the Great of Macedon, which is considered the oldest,complete biography of this Macedonian warrior. In this biography,Arrian fequently stresses the difference between the Macedoniansand the Greeks. Here, we will limit our remarks to a description ofthe battle of Issus, in which thousands of Greeks fought on theside of Persia against the Macedonians. Arrian wrote that in thisbattle the most violent conflict occurred between the Macedoniansand the Greeks, and that this was chiefly because of the greathatred between the two nations. Arrian put it this way: 27

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"There was a violent struggle. Darius Greeks fought to thrustthe Macedonian back into the water and save the day for their leftwing... The fight was further embittered by the old racial rivalryof Greek and Macedonian". (Arrian: "The Campaigns ofAlexander", translated by Aubrey De Selincourt, Penguin books,USA, 1987, pg. 119, the bolding is mine). Can someone explain to me how it is possible the Macedoniansand the Greeks were "one people" when in this relevant ancienttestemony we can see that there was an old racial hatred betweenthe two of them? An outstanding account on the distinctiveness of thelanguage of the ancient Macedonians was also given by theancient historian Plutarch (who lived from around 45 until 120). In his biography about Eumenes, describing the appereanceof Eumenes in front of the Macedonian soldiers, Plutarch wrote: "...On the first sight of the general of their heart, the troopssaluted him in the Macedonian language, clanked their arms, andwith loud shouts challenged the enemy to advance, thinkingthemselves invisible while he was at their head." ("Eumenes" byPlutarch 14, 10, translated by John and William Langhorne. Eversion on: http://www.attalus.org/old/eumenes. html. JohnLanghorne lived in the XVII century. He was a famous Englishpoet, and translated the works of Plutarch together with his brotherWilliam. This translation appeared in 1770). Plutarch mentions the Macedonian language in hisbiography of Marc Antony as well. It is known that after the deathof Alexander the Great, his empire fell apart and its respectiveparts were ruled by his top military commanders. For example, hischildhood friend (according to some sources, his half-brother)Ptolemy I ruled Egypt and some neighboring countries. Hefounded the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled Egypt after his death.The most famous descendant of this Macedonian dynasty is theEgyptian queen Cleopatra VII. In the biography about Marc 28

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Antony, Plutarch wrote about Cleopatra in detail and indirectlynoted that her mother tongue was Macedonian: "It was a pleasure merely to hear the sound of her voice,with which, like an instrument of many strings, she could pass fromone language to another; so that there were few of the barbariannations that she answered by an interpreter; to most of them shespoke herself, as to the Ethiopians, Troglodytes, Hebrews,Arabians, Syrians, Medes, Parthians, and many others, whoselanguage she had learnt; which was all the more surprising,because most of the kings her predecessors scarcely gavethemselves the trouble to acquire the Egyptian tongue, and severalof them quite abandoned the Macedonian." ("Antony" by Plutarch,translated into English by the playwright, John Dryden, who livedfrom 1631 until 1700. E-version of this translation can be foundon:http://classics.mit. edu/Plutarch/antony.html). This account by Plutarch discusses the mother tongue of thePtolemies, i.e. the Macedonian language. Clearly, Plutarchbelieved that, some of the Ptolemies, perhaps for political reasons,neglected the Macedonian language in deference to speaking thelocal language. Since, Plutarch does not say that this was the casewith Cleopatra, we may infer that she retained her mother tongue. Plutarch provides us with other accounts about thedistinctiveness of the Macedonian language. Sometime around 76CE, Plutarch, referencing some older works, wrote a biography ofAlexander the Great of Macedon in which he describes (head 53),an argument between Alexander the Great and his friend: "Alexander... breaking from them, he called out aloud to hisguards in the Macedonian language, which was a certain sign ofsome great disturbance in him." (Plutarch: “Alexander the Great”,Macedonian translation, Skopje 1994). This account refers to an incident when Alexander thoughtthat his friend Cleitus, with whom he had argued while drunk,posed a danger to his life. At one point, Alexander thought thatCleitus, would attack him, so he summoned his guards (shield- 29

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bearers) to protect him. Plutarch clearly writes that they weresummoned in Macedonian. To explain this account by Plutarch, we need to mentionthe fact that the official language in the Macedonian Empire and inits army, during the Macedonian dominion, was the language of“koine” (mixed language) that was used in the MacedonianEmpire. In addition to words from the ancient Greek dialects(which were numerous) koine contained words from otherlanguages as well. Alexander established this language forpractical reasons, since he was aware that he would encounterresistance were he to impose the unfamiliar Macedonian languageon the different nations in his empire. Universal use of this mixed language or koine, later wasstrictly enforced by the Macedonian dynasties that ruled thedivided parts of Alexander‟s empire to facilitate ease ofcommunication among the different nations. Today scientistsconsider koine as a kind of Esperanto of that period. This means that Alexander communicated in koine with hismilitary commanders and his army (among whom the Mace-donians were dominant; there were also many Greeks, Thracians,Jews and people from other nations). However, at the momentwhen he thought that his life was in danger, he instinctively beganspeaking in his mother tongue, Macedonian. This reaction accordswith human psychology and most people would react similarly toperceived danger. His instinctive reaction to call out inMacedonian, when he had no time to formulate an urgent call forhelp to his Macedonian guards in a foreign language, establishesbeyond doubt that Macedonian was his mother tongue. Clear evidence of the distinctiveness of the ancient Mace-donian language was also provided by the Latin historian QuintusCurtius Rufus (of whom the period of living is not known – somesay he lived BCE others say that he lived in the first century CE). The incident of the trial of the Macedonian, Philotas, whowas accused of plotting the murder of Alexander, is well known. 30

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The plot was revealed and Philotas was publicly interrogated byAlexander. Quintus Curtius Rufus described this event and clearlystated that the Macedonians spoke a different language. He evenquotes Alexander addressing the Macedonians in the first personplural “the mother and our language”. Alexander addressedPhilotas with the words: “Now you are going to be trialed by the Macedonians. I amasking you: are you going to address them in Macedonian?” Philotas denied, explaining that, besides Macedonians,there were other nations present there. To this, Alexanderaddressed the Macedonians saying: “Can you see? Did Philotas come to the point, when herejected his own mother tongue?... But, let him speak as he wants,and you remember that he has equally alienated from our customsand from our language.” (Quintus Curtius Rufus, "De Rebus GestisAlexandri Macedonis", VI, 10; translated from Latin by dr. LjubinkaBasotova, Skopje, 1998, pg 272). But, Philotas remained indifferent to these accusations andin his speech he said: “I am being accused of refusing to speak in my motherlanguage and for being disgusted with the customs of theMacedonians. Does this mean that I am a threat to the kingdom Idespise in this way? But, even from before, the mother tonguewas abandoned in the conversation with other nations, thus thewinners and the defeated had to learn a foreign language." (Q. C.R. quote, pg. 274). However, in the accusation against Philotas Bolon,Alexander‟s commander interfered, maintained that: “…althoughhe was Macedonian, he was not ashamed to listen to the peoplewho spoke in his own language with the help of an interpreter.” This event established the existence of an independent andseparate Macedonian language. Also, this description illuminatesthe fact that some Macedonians, whether to facilitate greater 31

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communication with the other nations or for other reasons, usedthe foreign language koine. Among themselves, however theycontinued to communicate in their mother Macedonian tongue. We see that during the trial, Philotas was rebuked byAlexander for his refusal to speak Macedonian to the Mace-donians. Philotas accused Alexander of establishing koine, heargued that the Macedonian language had been neglected a longtime ago, so that both the winners (Macedonians) and thedefeated (Greeks and other nations) had to learn a new language(koine). Bolon interfered and accused Philotas, who though Mace-donian, communicated with the Macedonians through interpreters.This is an extremely important account and proof that, at that time,many Macedonians could not speak koine, so when they wantedto talk to someone, they used interpreters. Although Philotasspoke Macedonian, he did not want to communicate with theMacedonians in their own language, but rather he insisted onhaving their words translated into koine. It is incomprehensible that the signatories managed tooverlook these elementary facts from the biography of Alexanderthe Great of Macedon. Regarding the language of the ancient Macedonians wepresent a map from the "Ancient Languages of Europe" publishedin 2008 at the University of Cambridge (Edited by Roger D.Woodard, published by Cambridge University Press, 2008) whichdepicts those territories in which ancient Greek was spoken. It isclear that most of Macedonia (with the exception of the sparselyinhabited peninsula Chalkidiki, where Greek colonies remained fora very long time) was not part of the Greek speaking area. We seeon this map that the Macedonian language clearly is presented asa language spoken in ancient times. 32

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A map titled “Greek dialects in the first millennium BC and the neighboring languages” published in the book "Ancient Languages of Europe" (Edited by Roger D. Woodard), published by CambridgeUniversity Press (Great Britain, 2008, pg. 49-50). It shows that in ancient Macedonia the spoken language was Macedonian, a neighboring language of the Greek dialects. To conclude, the koine language was lingua franca in the Ma-cedonian Empire, not because the Macedonians were "Greeks",but to permit the different nations in the empire to communicateamong themselves with the help of this ancient "Esperanto". The signatories of this letter, perhaps unintentionally, indirectlyconfirmed this truth when they used the term “lingua franca”. It isknown that the term lingua franca comes from Italian which meansa third language used for communication among people whospeak different languages. This third language is different from themother tongue of those communicating with each other. By usingthe term lingua franca, the signatories are saying that the Mace-donians, the Greeks and the other nations in the MacedonianEmpire did not understand each others‟ mother tongues. This then 33

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gave rise to the need for a third language, which is the "common"language, or koine. Similarly, even if we agree that the ancient Macedonianlanguage did not exist in its written form and that the first writtenlanguage used for communication among the Macedonians wasGreek, it does not follow that writing in Greek makes them Greek.First of all, we have cited accounts that state that some of them didnot speak a word of spoken Greek. Secondly, during the classicalperiod, the written languages of the Romans and the Greeks werethe only ones known in todays Balkan area. It would be quite sadif every nation that used either Greek or Latin written langugewould be considered as ethnical Greek or Latin. Even after theirarrival from Asia into the Balkans, in the seventh century, theTurkish-Mongolian Bulgars, too used the Greek written language intheir written communications. Did that make them Greeks too?One might well ask about the rest of the nations at that time:Illyrians, Thracians and other nations that wrote in Greek? TheRomans until the second century BCE also wrote their chroniclesin ancient Greek dialects. Were they Greeks until the secondcentury BCE and then suddenly transformed themselves intoRomans? There are tens of ancient writers who clearly state that theancient Macedonians were not Greeks. They include: Arian,Appian, Ampelius, Demosthenes, Dexipus, Dichearchus, Diony-sius, Dio Crysostomus, Diodorus of Sicily, Dio Casius, Aechinus,Zosimus, Josephus Flavius, Justinus, Quintus Curtius Rufus, Clea-neus, Clauidian, Clement of Alexandria, Cornelius Nepos,Cohenus, Pausanias, Plutarch, Polybius, Pseudo Scylax, Sozo-menus, Strabo, Trasymachus, Herodianus etc. In their works theyall offered completely different evidence highlighting thedistinctiveness of the ancient Macedonians as well as the fact thatthey were a different nation from the Greeks. (Additional details onthese accounts can be found in the upcoming book "Ancient Greekand other ancient testimonies of the individuality of the ancient 34

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Macedonians" by Aleksandar Donski, scheduled soon to bepublished in RoM, by University Goce Delcev).Todays Macedonians are descendantsof the ancient Macedonians The signatories‟ argument now moves to their claim that thepresent-day Macedonians are late-comers to the BalkanPeninsula: "The answers are clear: Alexander the Great was Greek, notSlavic, and Slavs and their language were nowhere nearAlexander or his homeland until 1000 years later. This brings usback to the geographic area known in antiquity as Paionia. Whywould the people who live there now call themselves Macedoniansand their land Macedonia? Why would they abduct a completelyGreek figure and make him their national hero?" We have presented serious proofs taken from ancientsources, which clearly demonstrate that neither Alexander nor theancient Macedonians were ever Greek. On the contrary, these twonations have fought each other and frequently have exhibited amutual intolerance in many other areas. Todays Macedonians in large degree are descendants of theancient Macedonians and it is a fact that those who would denytoday‟s Macedonia‟s status as a nation, are afraid that theseproofs will be revealed and worse gain currency and broad publicacceptance. These proofs exist, they are here to stay and theycannot be “propagandized” or prevaricated away. Even during the time of Yugoslav communism (the periodwhen todays Republic of Macedonia was a constituent member ofthe Yugoslav Federation) the history of ancient Macedonia hadbeen the subject of willful neglect. In a number of history bookspublished during Yugoslavia‟s communist era, the ancientMacedonians were never even mentioned. 35

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A short, representative list of some of these omissions follows. It is true that todays Macedonians speak a language thatbelongs to the "Slavic family of languages". Of course the spokenlanguage does not always determine the ethnic origin of a givennation. Todays Irish speak and write in English, but they are proudof their Irish ethnicity. Besides, in the language of ancient Macedonians (at least inthe few words that were kept mainly by the ancient grammarianHesychius), words which according to their pronunciation andmeaning are similar to the present day Macedonian words andother Slavic languages can be noticed. This is a truth obvious to allthose who have knowledge of Slavic languages and it is acceptedby Slavic linguists dealing with these issues. It is clear that the signatories haven‟t the slightest knowledgeof the language or the culture of todays Macedonians, nor havethey made any apparent effort to study this area. The questionarises how the signatories can reach such definitive conclusionsabout the origin of contemporary Macedonians, when they knowalmost nothing about them? Contemporary Macedonians differ anthropologically from theancient Slavs which is a much stronger argument in support of thesignatories‟ position about the language. The Byzantine historianProcopius described the ancient Slavs as exceptionally "tall andstrong people" with exclusively blond or reddish hair (Procopius,De Bellis). It is more than obvious that todays Macedoniansmainly of medium height, or less and some with dark complexions,have completely different anthropological features. Clearly, thesemodern Macedonians do not fit the description of the old Slavs andcannot be their pure descendants. According to available Byzantine accounts, in the seventhcentury many Slavs were moved from Macedonia into Asia Minorby Justinian II. From the notes of Constantinople‟s PatriarchNicephores (head 34) who lived in the tenth century and from thewritings of the Byzantine historian Teophanus (from the eighth to 36

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the beggining of the ninth century), we know that, in the seventhcentury, Justinian II moved from Balkan area (Macedonia) around150.000 Slavs. From that number, he later chosed 30,000 strongenough to fight and who were included in military campaignsagainst the Arabs in 692. In Macedonian folklore, there are many folk songs, stories,legends and myths with ancient Macedonian content registeredand popularized in the sixteenth, eighteenth, nineteenth andtwentieth centuries. Some even feature foreign travelogue writerswho visited Macedonia. In Macedonian folklore there is a number of Macedonian folkworks about some of the ancient Macedonian monarchs. Thereare certain folklore elements (especially in the folk stories) whichare undoubtedly rooted in the time of ancient Macedonia. Forexample, there are several motifs that are reminiscent of ancientMacedonia: the lion (which existed in ancient Macedonia and isfrequently present in Macedonian folk stories, and also inheraldry); the king with the horn (dedicated to Alexander theGreat); the bobcat; the philosopher; the three brothers (taken fromHerodotus‟ story about the creation of Macedonia); the cult ofwater; the belief that the crow is evil and that the eagle is noble,along with many others. Macedonian folklore is a rich source ofinsight into contemporary Macedonia and could invite revealingcomparisons with the ancient Macedonian cultural heritage. There are many customs, ceremonies and beliefs that theancient Macedonians bequeathed to the Macedonians of thenineteenth and twentieth centuries. For example, Herodotus wrotethat during celebrations in ancient Macedonia, men sat separatelyfrom women. This custom has been evident to the writers ofMacedonian folklore from the nineteenth and twentieth centuriesand is even evident today. The custom of breaking bread duringwedding ceremonies, mentioned by Alexander the Greatsbiographer, Quintus Curtius Rufus still persists. The treatment ofthe mens belt on the national dress as a symbol of masculinity 37

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(written by Aristotle, also registered in the nineteenth century) canbe traced directly to the ancient Macedonians. Presenting a ring toan heir (before dying) is a custom of the ancient Macedonians andthe custom of cutting ones hair during a time of grief -- all arevestiges of ancient Macedonian traditions. Even the ancientMacedonian custom of electing a king (held during a massgathering of the army and elections affirmed by acclamation)remained with the Macedonians of the nineteenth century as acustom by which village elders are selected. Ancient Macedonianelements are present in the celebration of todays Macedonianholidays: "Lazara", St. George, "Rusa Sreda" and the day offorgiveness. Ancient Macedonian elements are reflected incontemporary "Dodol" customs when calling for rain. The beliefthat the snake has magic power; many funeral customs etc, all arelegacies passed down from the ancient Macedonians. Many elements of ancient mythology, popularly known as"Greek mythology" -- but without the slightest justification – areapparent in Macedonian national folklore of the nineteenth andtwentieth centuries. Research into the origin of the so called"ancient gods" would reveal that most of the deities were not ofGreek origin. Herodotus himself states that most of their maingods, as well as their names, the Greeks took from Africa. In thisregard, Herodotus wrote in his "History": "Almost all the names ofthe gods came to Greece from Egypt.” With minimal effort, anyonecan prove that most of the well known ancient and medievalauthors, who dedicated their works to this mythology, either werenot Greeks or their origin is unknown. It is not difficult to prove thatmany of the personalities referenced in this mythology were not ofGreek origin. In truth, this is a mythology created and practiced bycertain, mainly Balkan, nations and we hope that in future it will nolonger be referred to as "Greek", but rather as "Balkan" or"Mediterranean" mythology. There are many motifs that Macedonian folklore inherited fromthis mythology. If we compare the motifs of ancient mythology with 38

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those of contemporary Macedonian folklore, we notice somesurprising coincidences. Some of these are: fairies (from theancient menadas); personalization of the sun and the stars; thestory of the golden touch; the dragon; the personalization of des-tiny, happiness and death; a god transformed into an old man; theheroic deeds of the middle age hero King Marko (like the deeds ofHeracles); the underworld; metamorphosis and many others.(More details on all of this can be found in Aleksandar Donskisbook: "The Descendants of Alexander the Great of Macedon - TheАrguments and Еvidence that Тoday‟s Macedonians are Des-cendants of the Аncient Macedonians (Part One - Folklore Ele-ments", MNLD "Grigor Prlicev", Stip/Sydney, 2004, National Libra-ry of Australia card number and ISBN 0 9581162 5 3). Available documents show that many Macedonians from thenineteenth and the beggining of the twentieth centuries –admittedly under the influence of foreign propaganda -- declaredthemselves as direct descendants of the ancient Macedonians. Ofcourse, they inherited this “self-declaration” from their ancestors,because, at that time, the Republic of Macedonia did not exist andtherefore could not be "blamed" for forcing them to do so. If the foregoing evidence is not persuasive, we will turn ourattention to modern genetic research. Recently, a group of Spa-nish scientists conducted genetic research on contemporaryMacedonians and found that they are one of the oldest nations inEurope. Researchers from the Department of immunology andmolecular biology, X. 12 de Octubre, at the University of Complu-tens, in Madrid, under the leadership of Dr. Arniez-Vilena fromSpain, undertook this research in cooperation with the Institute forLaboratory Research of Tissues and Blood Transfusion in Skopje.In the process, they also compared the results with researchconducted in other Mediterranean nations. The purpose of the 39

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research was to measure the extent of Macedonians and Greeksin todays genetic pool among Mediterranean nations. For the firsttime experts studied Macedonians‟ HLA (antigens from humanwhite and red blood cells) class 1 and class 2 DNA(Deoxyribonucleic acid). The research “HLA genes on Macedonians and sub-Saharanorigin of the Greeks” was published in a reputable Danishmagazine “Tissue Antigens” on February 2001 (Book 57, edition 2,pps. 118-127). As a result of this research, the followingconclusions were made public:1) The Macedonians belong to the older Mediterranean basis(groupings), like the Iberians (including the Basques), northernAfricans, Italians, French, Cypriots, Jews, Libyans, Turks(Anatolians), Armenians and Iranians.2) The Macedonians have nothing in common with theirneighbors, the Greeks, who, themselves, do not belong to theolder Mediterranean basis.3) The Greeks were found to have a significant similarity to sub-Saharan Ethiopia, which distinguishes and separates them fromthe rest of the Mediterranean groups. The researchers reached the following conclusion: “This supports the theory that the Macedonians are one of themost ancient nations in the Balkans and long before the arrival ofthe Mycenaean Greeks, around 2000 BC.” The research further indicates that the Greeks bear a geneticsimilarity with sub-Saharan ethnic groups not only in Ethiopia, butalso in Sudan and in Western Africa (specifically Burkina-Faso),while the Macedonians are closer to the citizens of Cyprus. Indeed, gods and deities fall silent before such arguments.Certain historians claim that the creators of the Mycenaean cultureare the Pelasgians (an ancient nation that also lived in Mace-donia). "Microsoft Encarta" discusses this possibility in an articleentitled Crete and the Pelasgians. 40

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Additional evidence that today‟s Macedonians are the geneticdescendants of the ancient Macedonians came from a researchproject conducted by the respectable Swiss genetic institute“iGenea”. In an interview published in the Belgrade (Serbian)magazine, “Nin,” (May 27, 2009), the director Imna Pasos, saysthat the genetic material of the old nations was taken from tombsdiscovered at several archeological sites and was later comparedto those of contemporary nations. On the basis of the DNAanalysis conducted within the framework of this research, theexperts concluded that today‟s Macedonians are mainlydescendants of the ancient Macedonians and that they have theright to call themselves descendants of Alexander the Great. It is difficult to imagine how the signatories might go aboutimpeaching this genetic evidence, and following its disclosure,rationalizing their own public statements that today‟s Macedonianshave nothing in common with the ancient Macedonians. The strength of this and other evidence makes it clear that thesignatories‟ knowledge of contemporary Macedonians is whollyinconsistent with the persistence of their charges that Mace-donians have falsified their history. Despite such strong evidenceto the contrary, the signatories and like-minded policy-makers inthe Greek Government unaccountably insist on arrogating untothemselves the right to deny Macedonians their rightful historicaland cultural identity.Today’s’ territory of the Republic of Macedoniais an inseparable part of the overall territory of Macedonia The signatories also claim: "The ancient Paionians may or may not have been Greek, butthey certainly became Greekish, and they were never Slavs. Theywere also not Macedonians. Ancient Paionia was a part of theMacedonian Empire. So were Ionia and Syria and Palestine and 41

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Egypt and Mesopotamia and Babylonia and Bactria and manymore. They may thus have become “Macedonian” temporarily, butnone was ever “Macedonia”. The theft of Philip and Alexander bya land that was never Macedonia cannot be justified" It is true that there are different opinions about the ethnicorigins of the Paionians, and we have already stated that theterritory of Paionia extended not only onto the territory of today‟sRepublic of Macedonia, but also deep into what is now the part ofMacedonia that is administered by Greece. We noted that Paioniaceased to exist as a country in the third century BCE and becamean integral part of Macedonia. During this period the Paionians nolonger appeared as a separate nation. The reason for this can onlybe surmised, but it is apparent that the Paionians were ethno-culturally similar to the Macedonians, and thus a relatively quickmerger resulted in the creation of one nation. There are ancientaccounts that attest to the fact that the ancient Balkan Brygiannation participated in the ethno-genesis of the ancientMacedonians (the proof for this is the similarity in their speech).According to Strabo (VII, 38) there were ancient accounts thatindicate that the Paionians too are descendants of the Brygians(Phrygians): "Some believe the Paionians may have been colonists of thePhrygians..." We have noted that there is a difference in the opinion aboutthe ethnic origin of the Paionians. The signatories of the letter compare Paionia to the territoriesof Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Bactria and others, and claim that theseterritories were temporarily “Macedonian” but none of them(including Paionia) ever became ”Macedonia”. This statement isunhelpful and fails to address the fact that Paionia simply wasabsorbed into a greater and growing Macedonian state. Thatprocess is different from conquest and the acquisition of empire,as happened in the case of Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Bactria, etc.However this part (although in the past was called Paionia) was 42

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later renamed Macedonia. In the following period, the territory ofPaionia gradually began to shrink to the benefit of Macedonia.Please note in the preceding maps how and over what time-periodPaionia disappeared and its territory finally was renamedMacedonia. Almost all of Paionia at that time, with its shifting borders,came to be known as Macedonia and it remains so today. Thereare thousands ancient, medieval and contemporary foreignartifacts (maps, travelogues, reports, testimonies, newspaperrecords, magazines and books, state and other documents,historical, geographic, ethnographic and other types of works,artistic works and many other items), in which parts of today‟sRepublic of Macedonia (cities, villages, rivers, mountains, regions)were treated as an integral part of Macedonia and werestigmatized by the epithet “Macedonian”. Three examples follow that will illustrate that the territory oftoday‟s Republic of Macedonia, together with the parts ofMacedonia under Greek, Bulgarian and Albanian authority, were apolitical and territorial unit called Macedonia. 43

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The map by the ancient author, Claudius Ptolemaeus, from the first andsecond centuries known as Tabula Decima et Ultima Europae. On the map today‟s Republic of Macedonia can be seen as an integral part of the ancient Macedonian stateThe famous ancient map Tabula Peutingeriana (Fourth century), in which the parts of today‟s Republic of Macedonia are a unit and constitute the complete territory of ancient Macedonia 44

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The map titled: Macedonia, Epirus and Achaia was printed in Duisburgh, 1589. On this map almost the entire territory of today‟s Republic of Macedonia is presented as an integral part of the complete territory of Macedonia. The signatories contradict their earlier arguments: "The traditions of ancient Paionia could be adopted by thecurrent residents of that geographical area with considerablejustification." Initially, the signatories claimed that today‟s citizens of the Re-public of Macedonia are “Slavs” who have "nothing in common"with the peoples of the ancient Balkan nations. Suddenly, theycontradict themselves by writing that these people, who havenothing to do with the ancient Balkan nations, could “have used”the traditions of the ancient Paionians. Are the signatories telling 45

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us that present day Macedonians are "allowed" to "use" the tradi-tions of any ancient Balkan nation, except the ancient Macedo-nians despite the fact that they are largely their ancestors? In the next part of their letter the signatоries are showingnotorious lack of knowledge. Here we read: "But the extension of the geographic term “Macedonia” tocover southern Yugoslavia cannot be. Even in the late 19thcentury, this misuse implied unhealthy territorial aspirations." I invite the signatories to ask their students or even high-school pupils in their respective countries, the year that the consti-tution of Yugoslavia was promulgated. They might be surprised todiscover that the year was 1929, although this country, underanother name, had existed since 1918. It defies logic why thesignatories would state in an official document that the term“Macedonia” represents the “southern part of Yugoslavia”; andeven more incongruously, why the undersigned would impute toMacedonia “unhealthy territorial aspirations in the nineteenthcentury…” when, at that time, Yugoslavia did not even exist? At this point in the signatories‟ letter, specious propagandamerges into mendacity: "The same motivation is to be seen in school maps that showthe pseudo-greater Macedonia, stretching from Skopje to Mt.Olympus and labeled in Slavic. The same map and its claims arein calendars, bumper stickers, bank notes, etc., that have beencirculating in the new state ever since it declared its independencefrom Yugoslavia in 1991. Why would a poor land-locked new stateattempt such historical nonsense? Why would it brazenly mockand provoke its neighbor?" We have already mentioned that there are many mapscreated by foreign authors long before the promulgation of theconstitution of the Republic of Macedonia. On those maps, someare shown in this text, the territory of the Republic of Macedonia is 46

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clearly marked as an inseparable part of the territory of MacedoniaThe signatories‟ claim that the map of the whole Macedonia wasprinted on bank notes in the Republic of Macedonia is a maliciouslie and wholly devoid of academic merit! I am calling everyone ofthe signatories to show at least one single bank note officiallyprinted in the Republic of Macedonia on which the map of a unitedMacedonia is depicted. No such bank note exists! By attachingtheir signatures to such a document, these "experts" have not onlyrevealed themselves as manipulators of historical facts, but liars aswell! The signatories‟ attempt to "prove" that todays Republic ofMacedonia and the part of Macedonia under Greek authorityalways were "two separate units" is spurious and is tantamount todenying an entire people the right to their own historical identity.This may not be a crime but it is an instance of seriousprofessional irresponsibility and moral turpitude. These two partsof Macedonia, together with the parts under Bulgarian andAlbanian authority, in fact have been an inseparable entity fromancient times. For the first time, this part of Macedonia came underGreek authority in 1913, during the Second Balkan War, whenGreece, Serbia and Bulgaria wrested control of Macedonia fromthe Ottoman (Turkish) Empire and divided it among themselves.Greece occupied the largest portion of Macedonia and annexed it.As a practical matter, Greece established an artificial and arbitraryborder inside Macedonian territory. It was a line -- later a border --at which the Greek army managed to arrive before the Bulgarianand Serbian armies. These latter two armies, themselves, hadconquered significant parts of Macedonia. It is thereforedumbfounding when the Greek Government, along with thesignatories, discovers a "prior historical justification" for Greece‟snorthern border, which had only been in existence since itsoccupation by the Greek army in 1912 and 1913. That these three 47

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large parts of Macedonia -- which are now under Greek andBulgarian authority, together with the current territory of theRepublic of Macedonia -- were in the past one unit calledMacedonia -- is very well known in Greece today. To illustrate this,we will cite part of the article "All in a Name" issued by the thenGreek Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dora Bakoyanis and published in"The Wall Street Journal", 01.04. 2008. In the article, the Ministerrefers to the complete territory of Macedonia: "The term `Macedonia` has always been used to delineate awider geographical region, approximately 51% of which is part ofGreece, 38% of which is in FYROM, (Republic of Macedonia) and9% of which is in Bulgaria" Clearly, the Greek Minister has admitted that three parts ofMacedonia: the Republic of Macedonia (which she calls FYROM),the part under Greek authority, and the part along the Bulgarianborder were integral parts of the single region called Macedonia.Yet, the signatories unaccountably claim that the "Greek" part ofMacedonia had always been a "separate unit," completely distinctfrom the territory on which the Republic of Macedonia is located. Itwould appear that the former Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs,Dora Bakoyanis, has contradicted and impeached the very casethat the signatories sought to make.Comment on additional information Let us now turn our attention to charges of the Republic ofMacedonia‟s alleged "Territorial aspirations": "We would note that in 1929, in an effort to submerge unrulylocal identities into a unified Yugoslav nation, King Alexander ofYugoslavia named the region the Vardarska province, after themajor river that runs through it. See, for example, the Yugoslavstamp of 1939 with the ancient Paionia labeled with the nameVardarska. This effort to reduce ethnic tensions was rescinded by 48

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Tito, who used the Macedonian identity as leverage againstYugoslavia‟s Greek and Bulgarian neighbors." We have proved that even in ancient times the territory oftodays Republic of Macedonia was an integral part of thecomplete territory of Macedonia. Macedonia and the Macedonianshad been enslaved for centuries, and, not surprisingly, eachconqueror imposed its own administrative names on the parts ofMacedonia under their respective authority. This is the reason kingAlexander of Yugoslavia named that part of Macedonia under thecontrol of Serbia "Vardar province". The Serbian occupiers alsowanted to denationalize the Macedonians, turn them into "Serbs"and to wipe out all traces of Macedonia in the territory ofMacedonia. However the Macedonians in this part of Macedoniaresisted these denationalization efforts of the Serbian Governmentregime conducted in the name of the Yugoslav king, who washimself subsequently murdered in 1934 in Marseille byrepresentatives of an illegal Macedonian organization. During theSecond World War this part of Macedonia came under Bulgarian,German and Italian occupation. This occupation also triggeredstrong resistance. Armed uprisings in which there were as manyas 60,000 Macedonian fighters erupted towards the end of the war 49

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demanding freedom. These anti-fascists won the freedom of theVardar sector of Macedonia and proclaimed the establishment ofthe Macedonian Republic, although within the framework ofcommunist Yugoslavia. Following the fall of Yugoslavia in 1991,the Republic of Macedonia declared its independence. Macedonians also fought for their national freedom in thoseparts under Greek and Bulgarian authority. The signatories appearnot to know that in 1925 (twenty years before Tito‟s election) theGreek Government recognized the existence of a separateMacedonian identity on its territory and even undertook to provideeducation for Macedonians in Macedonian language. To carry outthis undertaking, the Greek government financed the publication ofan elementary text-book for the educational use of Macedonianchildren in that part of Macedonia that had come under Greekauthority. This textbook was later withdrawn from circulation anduse following considerable pressure from Greek nationalists. At thesame time, Macedonians were exposed to fierce persecution,harassment, murders, false imprisonment, deportation, mass evic-tions and expropriation of property and concerted and organizedattempts at denationalization by successive Greek Governments.There are other documents issued by the Greeks in which theexistence of a separate and distinct Macedonian national identityin the framework of the Greek state and beyond. 50

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Front cover of the "Abecedar" - a school text-book to educateMacedonian children, written in the Macedonian language and published officially by the Greek government in 1925 The arbitrary and unilateral administrative renaming of Mace-donia by the occupying power cannot retroactively be consideredan “historical proof” of its identity. If we follow this logic with regardto Greece, itself, then we might argue that the territory of today‟sGreece during the time under Ottoman (Turkish) Empire, was notcalled Greece, but “Yunanistan” and the Greeks “Yunanistans”. Ifwe apply the same logic to Greeks as the signatories apply toMacedonians, then the very people who deny Macedonianethnicity and ancient history are not Greeks, but “Yunanistans”who later decided to become "Greeks". The Greeks later rebelledand, aided by European forces in the 1820s, established for the 51

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first time in history a unified Greek state. Only a minority of itscitizens were imbued with a sense of national consciousness.Many of the inhabitants of the newly created Greek state declaredthemselves to be “Romei” (Romans) and not Greeks. This remar-kable fact is a reflection of the rule of Byzantium (whose citizenshad always identified themselves as "Romans"). Indeed, the firstcrest of the Greek state was almost identical with that of Bavariaand had nothing in common with Greece.The crest of the Greek State The crest of Bavariain the nineteenth century The Greek nation was not recognized by the officialrepresentatives of the European countries of that time. At the time“Filiki Eteria” (a secret organization seeking to overthrow Ottomanrule and establish an independent Greek nation) was created in1814 in Vienna, the European rulers were gathered at theCongress of Vienna. Greek nationalists printed and addressed tothe participants a demand for the liberation of their country. TwoRussian countes, Yoannis Capodistria and Alexander Ypsilanti, 52

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represented the Greeks in Vienna. But their demands were notplaced on the agenda. The chairman, Prince von Clemens WenzelMetternich, told them that “there is no Greek nation and that inTurkey there is no other nation but the Turkish one”. (Detailsregarding these documents, taken from the Russian archives, canbe found in academician Blaze Ristovski‟s “History of theMacedonian nation”, Macedonian Academy of Science and Art,Skopje, 1999, ISBN 9989-649-57-X; pg. 10 -12). Later, fortune smiled on the nascent Greek state. It began toexpand at the expense of the Ottoman Empire and beganconquering territories that had never before been Greek. In 1881and after the Second Balkan War, Greece seized from theOttoman (Turkish) Empire a large part of Epirus, a region south-east of Macedonia. However, Epirus also was never Greek inancient times. As proof of the non-Greek character of Epirus andits inhabitants, we turn to the research of the British militaryhistorian, Major John Charles Ardagh, published as an officialdocument by the Government of Great Britain in 1881. A few yearsearlier the new, Greek state announced its territorial expansion inthe Balkans at the expense of the Ottoman Empire. At that timeGreece aspired to occupy Epirus, claiming that it had been “Greekterritory”. In order to gain a clear insight into Greek claims of anhistorical right to Epirus, the British government retained themilitary historian, John Ardagh, to research the issue and giveevidence on the ethnic character of Epirus in ancient times.Ardagh received the assignment in 1880 and in 1881 he deliveredhis report to the British government. In the memorandum Ardaghquotes from the works of all the ancient writers available to himand who had written about the ethnic character of Epirus. Someare: Strabo, Scylax, Dichearchus, Scymnos, Dionysus, the Iliad,the lists of the Amphictionic league and other sources. In the end,he clearly concluded that Epirus was never Greek territory inancient times. This memorandum was titled “Memorandum on theAncient Borders of Greece” and was published in the “British 53

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Documents of Foreign Affairs” Edition, Part I, Series F, Europe,1848 - 1914, Vol. 14 "Greece, 1847 - 1914", University Publicati-ons of America. This document was accepted by the Britishgovernment on 24 February 1881. In it, major Ardagh cited theancient sources that he used for his research and issued thefollowing conclusion: "...nor have I found anywhere a suggestion that Epirususwas Greek, except that Dodona, the great oracle, though situatedamid barbarians, was a Greek institution, and the legend that theMolossian Kings were of the house of the Eakidae. When Epirususfirst became powerful 280 BCE, Greece had long been under thecomplete ascendancy of the Macedonians and after the fall of thatEmpire at the battle of Pydna, 168 BC it became a Romanprovince in 148 BC." In the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Russian-Greekinitiative for the establishment of an independent Macedonia 54

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became evident. As far back as October 1829 a meeting of of TsarNicholas I‟s Second Committee was held on the crisis betweenRussia and Turkey. Russian count, Yoannis Capodistria (of Greekorigin) put forward a draft-document that initially had beensubmitted in March of the previous year, 1828, when Capodistriawas chairman of the newly founded national assembly of Greece.In 1830 Greece gained independence with the help of the GreatPowers, and Capodistria not surprisingly was elected its firstpresident. His proposal, presented by the Russian Minister ofForeign Affairs noted that the Ottoman (Turkish) Empire in theBalkans was about to collapse. It argued that the followingcountries were to be established: 1. Dacia (Romania); 2. Serbia,including Bosnia and Bulgaria; 3. Macedonia, including the wholeof Rumelia and the islands; 4. Epirus, including Upper and LowerAlbania; 5. the area of the Hellenes (Greece), together with thesouthern border of the river Peneus in Thessaly and the whole ofthe archipelago. Each of these countries was to be ruled by aDuke. An important irony emerges in the story of the creation ofthe Greek state: Greek nationalists and their first president, Yoa-nnis Capodistria, demonstrated and made representations to theRussian government advocating the establishment of an inde-pendent Macedonian state. The irony here is that the individualityand separate character of the Macedonian nation are principlesthat today‟s Greek politicians absolutely and categorically reject. After Capodistria was elected as the first president of the newGreek state, he again proposed a change in the Balkan borders.He never included Macedonia, Epirus or Thrace in the frameworkof the new Greek state, but he suggested that Cyprus should begiven to France, Crete to England and Rhodes to Russia. Hemaintained that the ethnic writ of the Greek state extended to thePeneus River in Thessaly and Attica Bay together with the islandson the archipelago. Then in 1831, prompted by Russia, he movedthe northern border to Olympus and Pindus, but he neverextended that border as far as Macedonia. (All these documents 55

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are available in the Russian archives and can be found inacademician Blaze Ristovski‟s “History of the Macedonian nation”that we already mentioned). We have noted that the portion of Macedonia now underGreek authority became “Greek” in 1913. In the succeedingdecades, Macedonians from this part of Macedonia were exposedto a systematic regime of state terror (prosecutions, imprisonment,murders, rapes… These are supported by international documentsand testimonies containing eye witness accounts). Thousands ofMacedonians were expelled and moved out of their homes inMacedonia and in the 1920s and Christians from Turkey weremoved in. The descendants of these Turkish Christians (thoughtheir ancestors lived in Asia, but never in Macedonia), acting underthe influence of Greek propaganda, declared themselves to be“descendants of Alexander the Great,” rather than what they were:descendants of Turkish sultans. The signatories criticize the Macedonian government for publishing this ethnic map of Macedonia because, as they allege, it indicates that the 56

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Macedonian government “invented” a “pseudo greater Macedonia”. Hereagain, the signatories exhibit abysmal ignorance. The fact is that simmilar map was first published in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1933 when the Republic of Macedonia did not exist.Afterword Today‟s Macedonians are a peaceful nation, prepared forcooperation and peaceful coexistence with their neighbours. TheRepublic of Macedonia is a multicultural state in which everycitizen is free to identify with their own national and culturaltraditions and values. In every echelon of government of theRepublic of Macedonia there are, besides ethnic Macedonians,ethnic Albanians, Vlachs, Serbs, Roma, Turks, Bosniaks andrepresentatives of other nationalities. Unlike the Republic of Macedonia, Greece officially claims thatthere are no ethnic minorities on its territory, a claim that is absurdon it face. One wonders if any state in the world exists which, likeGreece, denies its citizens the right to ethnically declare them-selves as they wish. In today‟s Greece there are: Macedonians, Roma (Gypsies),Vlachs, Albanians, Turks and representatives of other nations whoare denied the elementary human right to freely identify themsel-ves ethnically and culturally. Anyone doubting this statementshould visit Greece and seek out state-sponsored schools in whichchildren study in the Macedonian, Turkish, Vlach or Albanianlanguages. Additionally, Greece has prevented the independentRepublic of Macedonia from naming itself as it wishes, which isitself an unprecedented act of wanton political terror. Perhaps, thesignatories might find it enlightening if they imagined someone 57

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denying, or otherwise appropriating their identity and in addition,insisting that they change their personal names. The future between the Republic of Macedonia and Greecelies in the context of good-neighborliness and close, friendlycooperation. If this is to happen, mutual respect is needed. Let‟shope that future generations of Greeks manage to put aside theirnegative feelings and that our posterity will live in a civilized,peaceful, prosperous and mututally-supportive Balkan sub-region.LIST OF THE GREEK-SPONSORED SIGNATORIES OF THELETTER SENT TO PRESIDENT OBAMA, TO WHOM THISRESPONSE ALSO HAS BEEN SENT:Anagnostis P. Agelarakis, Professor of Anthropology, Adelphi University (USA);Ioannis M. Akamatis, Professor of Classical Archaeology, University ofThessaloniki (Greece);June W. Allison, Professor Emerita, Department of Greekand Latin, The Ohio State University (USA); Georgios Anagnostopoulos,Professor of Philosophy, University of California-San Diego (USA); MarianaAnagnostopoulos, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, California State University,Fresno (USA), Ronnie Ancona, Professor of Classics, Hunter College and TheGraduate Center, CUNY (USA); John P. Anton, Distinguished Professor of GreekPhilosophy and Culture University of South Florida (USA); Dr. Norman GeorgeAshton, Senior Honorary Research Fellow, The University of Western Australia(Australia); Lucia Athanassaki, Associate Professor of Classical Philology,University of Crete (Greece);Effie F. Athanassopoulos, Associate ProfessorAnthropology and Classics, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA); Harry C.Avery, Professor of Classics, University of Pittsburgh (USA), Dr. Dirk Backendorf.Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz (Germany); Elizabeth C.Banks, Associate Professor of Classics (ret.), University of Kansas (USA);Leonidas Bargeliotes, Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, University of Athens,President of the Olympic Center for Philosophy and Culture (Greece); AliceBencivenni, Ricercatore di Storia Greca, Universita di Bologna (Italy); David L.Berkey, Assistant Professor of History, California State University, Fresno (USA);Luigi Beschi, professore emerito di Archeologia Classica, Universita di Firenze(Italy); Josine H. Blok, professor of Ancient History and Classical Civilization, 58

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(Poland); Stephen Neale, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Linguistics,John H. Kornblith Family Chair in the Philosophy of Science and Values, CityUniversity of New York (USA); Marsh McCall, Professor Emeritus, Department ofClassics, Stanford University (USA); Georgia Tsouvala, Assistant Professor ofHistory, Illinois State University (USA); Mika Rissanen, PhL, Ancient History,University of Jyvaskyla (Finland) (This material has been sent by e-mail to thousands ofaddresses worldwide. This distribution has been organized byStojance Panov from Stip, information technologist responsible forcommunication in the Council for internet activities in Macedonia,as well as other subjects related to the Republic of Macedonia andthe Macedonian Diaspora). 69

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Aleksandar DONSKI is born in Stip in artistic family.He graduated in the University "Kiril and Metodij" in Skopjeon Art History and Archaeology. Curently he attends masterstudies in the "Goce Delcev" university where he works in the Institute for History and Archaeology.He is author of twenty books, hundereds articles, as well some screenplays for documantary programsin the field of the history, religion and literature. 70